Ready to rumble? Amateur boxing returns to Canton with The Brawl II

Ed Balint, Canton Repository
Updated ·4 min read
United Boxing Club in Canton will present The Brawl II, an amateur boxing event on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center. The event is sanctioned by USA Boxing.
United Boxing Club in Canton will present The Brawl II, an amateur boxing event on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center. The event is sanctioned by USA Boxing.

CANTON − Boxing has a storied history of rematches.

Ali-Frazier. Leonard-Duran. Holyfield-Bowe. Fury-Wilder.

Add Canton to the list with "The Brawl II," an amateur boxing event on March 9 at the Memorial Civic Center.

A follow-up to last year's "Brawl at the Hall" and presented by United Boxing Club, the event has been moved from the Hall of Fame Village to the Civic Center, 1101 Market Ave. N in downtown Canton.

"It went very well last year," said Markees Watkins, owner of United Boxing Club in Canton. "The reception that it got was a lot more than I expected. We were only expecting maybe 600 to 800 people. It was like 1,500 people."

Khaine Charles, left, of Canton, lands a punch on his opponent, Marvin Spencer, during Brawl at the Hall of Fame Village in 2023. Charles will be among the amateur boxers scheduled to fight at "The Brawl II" on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Khaine Charles, left, of Canton, lands a punch on his opponent, Marvin Spencer, during Brawl at the Hall of Fame Village in 2023. Charles will be among the amateur boxers scheduled to fight at "The Brawl II" on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Moving the event to the Civic Center is an ode to the city's boxing history, he said.

"The Civic Center used to be kind of the mecca of boxing in the Canton area, so it felt good to have it back there again," Watkins said. "Having it in the bubble was fine, but we were kind of confined off to the side a little bit but it still worked out."

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Cason Adkins, 14, of Massillon, is an amateur boxer who will be competing in The Brawl II on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Cason Adkins, 14, of Massillon, is an amateur boxer who will be competing in The Brawl II on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

The Brawl II features boxers from Canton, Massillon, Detroit and Pittsburgh

Fifteen boxing matches are expected to be on the card. Each one lasts three rounds while using headgear. Amateur boxing organization USA Boxing is sanctioning the event.

Boxers will be from Canton, Massillon, Akron, Youngstown, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Pittsburgh, Watkins said. Ages range from 8 to 41.

Returning to fight this year is 10-year-old Khaine Charles of Canton, who participated in a USA Boxing national tournament in Texas, Watkins said. Also boxing will be 14-year-old Cason Adkins of Massillon, who has competed in Northeast Ohio events.

Other local participants will be 21-year-old heavyweight Nathan Goodwin, who has boxed at events in Youngstown, Cleveland and most recently at MGM Northfield Park.

Nate Goodwin, 21, of Canton, left, is shown with Markees Watkins, owner of United Boxing Club in Canton. Goodwin is an amateur heavyweight boxer who will be fighting March 9 in The Brawl II at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Nate Goodwin, 21, of Canton, left, is shown with Markees Watkins, owner of United Boxing Club in Canton. Goodwin is an amateur heavyweight boxer who will be fighting March 9 in The Brawl II at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

"Every fight we had matched last year was a challenging match," Watkins said.

"I definitely want to provide (the public) with competition and entertainment but also want to show them there's other outlets for kids and people out there and other ways to be entertained," he said.

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Teaching through sport: Lorenzo Scott inspired to help Alliance kids through boxing

Lorezno Scott, shown reading to a classroom of young students in Alliance last year, will be honored at The Brawl II for his work as a boxing trainer and mentor.
Lorezno Scott, shown reading to a classroom of young students in Alliance last year, will be honored at The Brawl II for his work as a boxing trainer and mentor.

Boxing trainer Lorenzo Scott to be honored

Lorenzo Scott will be honored at "The Brawl II."

For decades, Scott has been a key figure in the sport of boxing in Stark County, Watkins said. Scott still trains boxers and operates Common Ground Athletic Club, a boxing gym in Alliance.

A former Golden Gloves champion who trained numerous standouts in Northeast Ohio and across the country, Scott is a member of the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates Hall of Fame.

Scott also served in 2016 as a corner inspector who helped oversee a world heavyweight title match on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts card in Cleveland, The Alliance Review reported.

Scott, who has operated karate clubs and boxing gyms in Stark County, also trained fighters in Akron. He's a 2012 inductee of the Summit County Hall of Fame Boxing Association.

"He was the sensei almost to anyone around here doing anything," Watkins said of Scott and his local work in boxing and karate.

"He's a staple in combat sports," Watkins added. "... And I feel he needs to be appreciated."

Scott also trained Ohio native and professional female boxer Vonda Ward. Ward won the International Boxing Association heavyweight title and fought bouts at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in 2002 and 2003 on the way to an 18-0 record before losing in 2004 against Ann Wolfe. Ward also was the IBA cruiserweight champion.

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Lana Haines lands a punch during a bout in March 2023 during the Brawl at the Hall of Fame Village. The Brawl II will be on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Lana Haines lands a punch during a bout in March 2023 during the Brawl at the Hall of Fame Village. The Brawl II will be on March 9 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

How much do tickets cost for The Brawl II?

Mark Bigsbee of the Bigsbee Group is promoting the event and seeking sponsors with the help of Keith E. Green of KEG Group.

Tickets cost $20 general admission and $50 ringside. Tables for groups of eight are also available for $320. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/ or at the Civic Center box office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Fights start at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Proceeds go to the United Boxing Club to help fund the expenses of children boxers traveling to national tournaments, as well as their gym dues and memberships, Watkins said.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com.

On X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP and Instagram at ed_balint

This article originally appeared on The Repository: The Brawl II features amateur boxing in Canton. Lorenzo Scott honored